Evidence suggests Arafat poisoned with radioactive substance

Washington – Swiss scientists have reportedly found evidence which suggests that the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was poisoned with a deadly radioactive substance, Polonium.

Arafat died under mysterious circumstances at a French military hospital in 2004, and Palestinian officials have long accused Israel of poisoning Arafat, a claim which Israel denies.

According to Fox News, the latest evidence appears to be the most significant in the investigation into the leader’s death, initiated by his widow, Suha and the satellite TV station Al-Jazeera.

The report said that last year, the Swiss scientists at Switzerland’s Institute of Radiation Physics had found traces of polonium-210, a deadly radioactive isotope, on some of Arafat’s belongings and soil and bone samples were subsequently taken from the leader’s grave in the West Bank.

The scientists have indicated in their report that the results moderately support the proposition that the death was the consequence of poisoning with polonium-210.

Suha Arafat said that she was stunned and saddened by the findings and that it is a shocking crime to get rd of a great leader.

Without directly accusing Israel, a country with nuke capabilities, Suha said that she can’t accuse anyone but questioned how many countries have an atomic reactor that can produce polonium.

Meanwhile, Raanan Gissin, who was an Israeli government spokesman when Arafat died, reiterated that Israel had no role in his death adding that if anyone poisoned him, it could have been someone from his close circle.

Derek Hill, a professor in radiological science at University College London who was not involved in the investigation, said that the levels of polonium-210 cited in the report seem way above normal adding that it makes for a perfect poison as it is so hard to detect unless experts look for it using specialized equipment generally found only in government laboratories, the report added.